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A feast of culture: First Nations cuisine on the rise – StarPhoenix

by ahnationtalk onMarch 31, 2017154 Views

Rich Francis uses food to tell stories.

“Food is one of those things that we can evoke memory in and emotion in,” the Saskatoon-based chef says.

Since competing on the Food Network’s Top Chef Canada, Francis has become one of the most high-profile names in Canada’s burgeoning First Nations food scene. While he didn’t win the competition, he looks back on it as a positive experience.

“It really raised the profile of aboriginal cuisine as a whole,” he says.

Now he is using that recognition to bring attention to indigenous cooking and the history of First Nations people. Francis, who is a member of the Tetlit Gwich’in & Tuscarora First Nations, has begun hosting events he calls Cooking for Reconciliation. The dinners feature traditional ingredients and techniques and allow him to share First Nations culture and history.